Growing up in the small town of Kurukshetra, Rina Singh always knew that she would become a dressmaker. Whether she would pursue it professionally was the looming question back then. Contrary to the clichéd stories about inspiration, Rina’ s interest in design was purely academical, to begin with.
One of the active participants in India’s textile revolution and revival—owing to her research interests and work in collaboration with NIFT Gandhinagar—Rina’s involvement with slow fashion is something that took shape over a period of 20 years. As her sustainable label Eká completes eight years within the industry, the designer retails at 150-plus outlets across the world including Egg (London) by slow retail pioneer, Maureen Doherty.
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Shaking things up
Favoured by celebrities including Konkona Sen Sharma and Arundhati Roy, Rina’s collections has been dominated by an understated elegance ever since her first show back in 2010. Evocative of a non-finito aesthetic, the 41-year-old’s AW17 line continues upholds her unique design sensibilities through the inventive use of jamdani silk wool.“They are done in the form of an artwork, laden with unfinished hand strokes,” shares the couturier, whose collection features a faded palette specked with indigo, cream, and charcoal hues. Crafted with a blend of silk and wool yarn, this Amrita Sher-Gil inspired line took over six months complete as it took some time to get her weavers onboard with the idea of a wool/silk warping. “Artisans who work with jamdani don’t often work with yarns other than cotton since it doesn’t slip. They don’t do a warping of wool/silk ever,” she exclaims, adding that the aged textiles used for the clothes were made by pre-washing the fabrics.
As you like it
Apart from floral embroidery done with unspun wool, block-printed patterns highlighted in the textiles such as artmosaic adds to Rina’s subtle detailing. “We have blended the silk and wool yarn with Jay Shree Mills and re-dyed it to use it for the floral motifs,” explains the designer. Owing to their versatile silhouettes, these pieces can be layered up or worn as a single piece.“With a little bit of trial a lot of my clients confidently create their own looks,” says Rina, when asked for styling tips. Be sure to check out her heavy herringbone patterned coats, while shopping for this one.
From`6,500 to `35,000
Details: ogaan.com
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